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Sports At A Glance
By Warren Mayes
Olympics-bound
 Parkway South graduate Sarah Haskins is going to the Olympics in Beijing, China.
Haskins finished sixth in the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon World Cup race on June 22 in Des Moines, Iowa, to qualify for the U.S. Olympic triathlon team. Haskins finished the race in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 45 seconds to qualify. Haskins captured the silver medal in the recent World Triathlon Championships in Vancouver, B.C. It was Haskins' best finish in her professional career, finishing in 2 hours, 1 minute, 41 seconds. It also was her first-ever world championship medal. She lost to Great Britain's Helen Tucker. In a thrilling sprint finish between Tucker and Haskins down the final stretch, Tucker won by a mere 4 seconds. A triathlon is composed of a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run. Haskins took the silver for her first-ever world championship medal. Haskins began swimming year-round at the age of 9. She swam for 10 years on the Parkway Swim Club and achieved Junior National time standards. At Parkway South, Haskins competed in swimming, cross country and track.
USA Softball
Several local players were part of the St. Louis All-Stars who played the USA National Softball Team recently at ABC Park in St. Ann. The USA Softball National Women's Team was preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games and is on a KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour. St. Louis was No. 31 of 46 on their barnstorming tour of the country. The national team won 6-0 for its 26th consecutive victory. Monica Abbott struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in the USA victory. Team USA's lone loss came in a 1-0 decision to Virginia Tech earlier this spring. Local players competing included Elisha Swider (Lafayette, Missouri State), Maggie Viefhaus (Eureka, Michigan), Sarah Clynes (St. Joseph's, Illinois-Chicago), Julie Silver (Parkway Central, Missouri), Chelsea Carmody (Lafayette, Iowa) and Audrey Childress (Marquette, Indiana State). It was the fourth time the national team has played in St. Louis and has yet to give up a run. In 1996, the USA team defeated the St. Louis All-Stars 3-0 and the St. Louis Classics 1-0. They won by 10-0 and 5-0 scores over the St. Louis All-Stars in 2000 and 6-0 in 2004.
This will be the last Olympics for softball as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has dropped it from the 2012 games. The sport has to be reinstated. Since it became an Olympic sport in 1996, Team USA has won every gold medal.
Junior golf
 Parkway West graduate Catherine Dolan won the 48th Missouri Women's Junior Girls’ Championship, which was held recently at the A.L. Gustin Golf Course in Columbia, Mo.
Dolan, who won the Class 2 state championship last fall for the Longhorns, captured the junior championship with rounds of 72 and 75 for a total of 147. Dolan will attend Missouri State this fall. Hanule Seo finished second with a 153. Seo will be a senior this fall at Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS). After a 5-hour rain delay, the skies cleared and the second round concluded for the 16-18-year-old age group. The 12-15-year-old age group completed the tournament after 18 holes, along with 16-18-year-old B Flight competitors because of the severe weather. Dolan, who lives in Ballwin, was 1-over for the day after No. 12, where she struggled to reach the green in regulation and three-putted. Her closest challenger, Chesterfield resident Seo, formerly of Parkway North, was having a rough day but managed a beautiful chip for birdie on the 14th hole while Dolan bogeyed for a two-shot swing. Seo stuck her approach shot on No. 16 to within 5 feet but missed her birdie putt, which all but ended her run at the title. Dolan's putting was not as sharp as usual, but she managed to hang tough, shooting par on the 17th while Seo bogeyed the hole after missing the green and hitting a thin chip to the far side of the green. Dolan's 18th hole tee shot drifted to the right and landed on the outer lip of the fairway bunker. Seo's perfect drive allowed her to stick her approach shot to a couple of feet for a tap in for birdie, but it was too late to stop Dolan's steady play of 75 to capture the title. The Missouri Four State Team was chosen from the players with the top scores and their availability to travel with the team to Leawood South Country Club in Leawood, Kan., to compete against Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas for their fourth consecutive title. This year's Missouri Four State Team will consist of Dolan, Kristen Hamel of Chesterfield, Kate Gallagher of Savannah, Samantha Keller of Ballwin and Jacque Bardgett of Chesterfield. Hamel just graduated from Nerinx Hall, while Bardgett just graduated from Ursuline. Hamel finished third with a 156. Keller tied for sixth with a 159. Bardgett was the winner of the A flight with a 159.
Professional golf
Tiger Woods will miss the remainder of the 2008 season and that includes the BMW Championship, scheduled for Sept. 1-7 at Bellerive Country Club in Town & Country. Woods is having surgery on his knee and will be out of action for at least 10 months. As the third of four Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Tour play-off events in 2008, the BMW Championship field will be open to only the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings. Jerry Ritter, general chairman of the BMW Championship, said that while he is disappointed that Woods will not be playing, he understands the reasons. "First, let me say that on behalf of Bellerive Country Club, the Western Golf Association and the BMW Championship, our thoughts are with Tiger Woods and his family, and we wish him all the best," Ritter said. "The announcement by Tiger is certainly understandable by anyone who loves golf, though we can appreciate the disappointment of fans who anticipated seeing him in person this year at tournaments throughout the U.S. and the world, including the BMW Championship here in St. Louis. Clearly, this is the right decision for Tiger and, therefore, the right one for golf and one that we support unconditionally. Tiger's absence means there will be a new champion of the BMW Championship and a new name will appear on the FedEx Cup.” Ritter also said that while Woods will not be in St. Louis, the rest of the world's top 70 players, including No. 2-ranked Phil Mickelson, should be. "Nothing changes this fact: St. Louis will be at the epicenter of the golf world in September, and we will ensure fans a memorable, electric championship golf experience throughout the week at Bellerive," Ritter said.
It is not the first time St. Louis-area fans have been disappointed that a scheduled appearance from Woods has fallen through. The World Golf Championship's American Express Championship at Bellerive Country Club was officially canceled in September 2001, days after terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
Amateur women's golf
The Missouri Women's Golf Association held its 16th Senior Championship Tournament recently at Terre Du Lac Country Club in Bonne Terre. Defending champion and West County native Barbara Berkmeyer successfully defended her title, winning for the ninth consecutive year. She shot a 153 over two days. Harriette Myers of New Madrid, Mo., was second with a 158. The 2008 Senior Championship used a two-division format that offered a variety of competition. The Championship Division played a course approximately 5,433 yards in length. The Open Division played a course of 5,121 yards and offered a chance for all players to compete. Berkmeyer finished the day with a 75 and a two-shot lead over Myers. Wednesday's final round was perfect for scoring, and Berkmeyer was able to finish with a five-shot lead for the win. Berkmeyer's golf resume is lengthy and impressive. She was the Missouri Amateur Champion ('65,'70,'74-75,'84), Senior Women's Champion (2000-2007) and was a United States Golf Association (USGA) Senior Women's Amateur runner-up in 2002. Last October Berkmeyer finished third in the Women's Western Senior Championship in Naples, Fla., behind runner-up Mary Ann Beattie. Berkmeyer received the Hindman-Von Rump award for her first-round low gross score.
Amateur men's golf
Fox Run's Darren Lundgren, of Wildwood, fired a final round 3-under 69 to win the fifth annual East Side Amateur by a shot over Annbriar's Mitchell Gregson (68-69-137) and by two over Old Warson's Ross Millman (72-66-138) recently at Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River, Ill. Lundgren's 3-under round was highlighted by a chip-in for birdie at No. 9. "The chip in was pretty important," Lundgren said. "That was a turning point because the wind really picked up when we made the turn. From that point on, pars were really tough to make, so being able to get to 8-under was big." The 25-year-old former Rollins College golfer balanced two birdies with two bogeys on the closing nine to win his second Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association (MAGA) series event in 2008. In May, Lundgren won the Normandie Amateur.
St. Louis Lions
The St. Louis Lions lost their first-ever U.S. Open Cup match 4-1 to the Minnesota Thunder recently in Blaine, Minn. Minnesota struck first when Melvin Tarley scored 45 minutes into the game to give the Thunder a 1-0 halftime lead. "That goal was really a heartbreaker," Lions Coach Tony Glavin said. "It's a totally different match if we go into halftime at 0-0." Minnesota struck again with a goal in the 57th minute from Ricardo Sanchez to make it 2-0. The Lions finally got on the board 79 minutes into the game with a Tommy Heinemann goal that was set up by Kyle Patterson. St. Louis looked to be pressing again just minutes later when Minnesota intercepted a St. Louis pass from the back line and earned a 3-on-1 break that led to Tarley’s second goal of the match for Minnesota, assisted by Dayton O’Brien, pushing their lead to 3-1. The Thunder would add a fourth goal in the 89th minute from Aaron Paye, resulting in a 4-1 final.
"I really felt the guys played hard and were in the game for 80 minutes," Glavin said. "Unfortunately, there are 90 minutes in a match and we just couldn’t keep the momentum going after our goal. The bottom line is that we played a professional side and got outplayed. Playing in the Cup was a great experience for our guys, and I'm proud of the effort I got from each of them."
Ballwin, Wildwood teams have high hopes in Metro Collegian League
By Warren Mayes
Two veteran coaches have taken over teams in the eight-team Metro Collegian League this summer. Washington University Coach Ric Lessmann agreed to coach the Ballwin club when it could not find a manager. Gus Lombardo is managing the expansion Wildwood team. Players in the Metro Collegian Instructional Baseball League are between 19 and 22 years old. At least 90 percent of the players are attending college on athletic or academic scholarships. The league exists in order to sharpen the skills of the players and provide better context for their performance. The Metro League also exclusively uses wooden bats. The league is a franchise of the North American Baseball Federation (NABF) and will be sending a team to post-season play through the NABF. The other teams in the league include Alton, Arnold, Clayton, Kirkwood, Bridgeton and Brentwood, which is led by former Cardinal Ken Reitz. Each team has a 28-game schedule, plus a Fourth of July tournament, before the play-offs begin July 19. Lessmann is entering his 44th year as a baseball coach and 15th at Washington University in St. Louis. He is one of St. Louis' most renowned baseball instructors. In the 27 years before his Washington U. hiring in August 1993, Lessmann built a national reputation for teaching excellence while leading St. Louis Community College at Meramec to a 963-318 composite record. Lessmann, the nation's third winningest junior college coach, never experienced a losing season and guided the Warriors to the National Junior College World Series nine times. In 1974, Lessmann reached the pinnacle, leading Meramec to a national title. He is an old hand in the Metro Collegian League. "I started the league about 25 years ago," Lessmann said. "I was the commissioner twice and I'm president of the advisory board. I took the team over because we were having a hard time finding somebody to do it. So I'm still learning the first names of everybody. We just threw it together. We have mostly freshmen and junior college players and some from places like Missouri State, Truman State and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Mostly, the guys are in their first and second year of college. In this league, coaches and managers go out and recruit. I didn't have time to recruit. We took those people who were interested in playing." Two of Lessmann’s top players are pitcher and Parkway South graduate Joe Wenzel, who plays at Missouri Baptist, and catcher Justin Rahn. "This is a good league for these kids," Lessmann said. "It gives them at-bats and it gives them an extra six weeks of pitching. They're getting good experience. The more you repeat the skills you need in this game, the more you learn from various coaches. Sitting at home is not a good idea if you are a baseball player." Lessmann said he enjoys coaching at this level. "We're hoping I can evaluate them and give them information that will make them a little bit better players and then they can go back to their colleges,” Lessmann said. “It's about teaching here. It's fun from that standpoint.” Lombardo, who played for Lessmann at Meramec, has most of the players on the St. Louis Recruits, a traveling select team. Two of his former players are Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Burhle and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. "This is our first year in the league," Lombardo said. "I know the people in the league and when I told them I had a team, they let me know they were losing the team in Fairview Heights (Ill.). We're an all-freshmen team. It's not easy. We're hanging in there." Wildwood has 21 players on its roster. One of the top players is catcher Dylan Mooney, who played last year at Meramec and has a scholarship this fall to Southern Indiana. Mooney is a Francis Howell Central graduate. Shortstop Cameran Dyer is a Chaminade graduate who attends Forest Park. Third baseman Ryan Haverstick is a Westminster graduate who attends Rockhurst University. Pitcher Cody Katzenberger went to Forest Park last year. Three DeSmet graduates also figure into Lombardo's plans: shortstop/second base Bobby Voss, who attends Benedictine; pitcher Mike Grace, who attends Western Iowa Junior College; and pitcher Mike Zimmerman, who attends St. Louis University.
"It's a young team,” Lombardo said. “It's fun to watch them grow. I think we will make the play-offs. I think when we get together, we'll be fine. We're starting to jell now. I think we'll be a team that can give people problems. We've got good pitching."
CBC graduate ready to go for gold in Olympic wrestling
By Warren Mayes
Christian Brothers College (CBC) graduate and wrestler Spenser Mango punched his ticket to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Olympic wrestling is scheduled for Aug. 12-21, and Mango will be there. Mango's best-of-three finals series ended in a convincing sweep at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas, which was held at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’s Thomas and Mack Center. The 22-year-old Mango, who stands 5-foot-2, won a power-packed Greco-Roman class at 121 pounds by taking two straight matches from Sam Hazewinkel of Pensacola, Fla. Mango, who trains with Gator WC, is a past World University champion. Hazewinkel had knocked off world bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher, 33, in the semifinals, but Mango took him in back-to-back matches. In his first match, Mango won a decision over Hazewinkel, who attends the University of Oklahoma. In the quarterfinals, Mango won a decision over Nate Engel of Helena, Calif. In the semifinals, Mango won a decision over Jimmy Chase of Carol Stream, Ill. "It all starts in our wrestling room," Mango said, who followed up his national championship in April with the win in Las Vegas. "We have some of the best talent in the U.S. in our wrestling room at Northern Michigan, so when we get out on the mat we've already had experience wrestling some of the top guys in the U.S." In Greco-Roman wrestling, no holds below the waist are allowed and the legs cannot be used to attack or defend. It is a sport of upper-body power, characterized by big lifts and throws. The United States did not send any Greco-Roman wrestlers to the Olympics from 1924 to 1956. However, wrestlers have been in every Olympics since then. Has it sunk in yet? "No, not really,” Mango said in a telephone interview from New York, where he was doing some fund-raising for the Olympic team. “It still seems like a dream to me.” CBC Athletic Director Scott Brown said it could not have happened to a better athlete or person. Brown also said he believes Mango is the first CBC athlete to reach the Olympics. "To my knowledge, I would say yes, he is the first to make the Olympics," Brown said. "I would think he's one of the very few if he's not the only one. He is a great young man. He's very polite. He was up here not long ago visiting CBC. He was here around Christmas time and he was working out with the wrestling team and talking to the coaches." Brown gave an example to demonstrate Mango's personality. "I was leaving and he was leaving one day there last winter," Brown said. "He saw me and came over to my car and he said, 'Hey, I wanted to say hi to you.' He was in a hurry to get going and he wanted to make sure before he left he came over and spoke to me. He really is a nice young man." Once he leaves New York, Mango said he was headed to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the end of June. There, the serious training begins. He will run, lift weights and wrestle. His day will begin with a light run in the morning followed by weight training for about 90 minutes. Then in the afternoons, Mango will wrestle for two hours or more. Mango said he was confident heading into the trials in Las Vegas. "After I won the nationals, I was pretty confident in my skills," Mango said When he was up against Hazewinkel, Mango said he knew he was near his goal. "I was in control the whole time,” Mango said. “I was never in jeopardy of losing. We've actually been back and forth several times before. It was nice to get two straight victories this time. My first reaction was I was relieved. I put everything together at the right time. I wrestled well. Now I will have to do it all over again in August." It has been a short trip to the Olympics for Mango. He did not begin wrestling until his freshman year at CBC, which was just eight years ago. A coach saw him in the hallway and asked him to come out for the wrestling team. "I started wrestling at CBC, and at first, I liked wrestling," Mango said. "It was something I was good at. I remember my first day of practice at CBC like it was yesterday." Mango won state championships as a junior and senior and was named the tournament's top wrestler as a senior. Because he was small, Mango was going to go to Truman State, but he caught the eye of Ivan Ivanov, the Greco-Roman coach of the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University while wrestling at the national Greco-Roman championships in 2004 at Fargo, N.D. Goodbye, Kirksville, hello, Marquette, Mich. "That was the best decision I ever made," Mango said. "After I got more involved, I began to think the Olympics were a possibility. I started training hard and it was the key to how I got to where I am today." He has competed in many national and international tournaments as a result of going to the Olympic Education Center. He has traveled to Guatemala, Poland and many other countries. He won the 2006 World University Games and also finished third that year in the World Junior Championships. His younger brother, Ryan, who is a junior at Whitfield, went to China on a tour last year. "He took a ton of pictures and he showed them to me," Mango said. "He showed what the venue where I'll be wrestling looks like. I kind of have an idea of where things are there." One other thing is important, too, Mango said. "I love Chinese food," Mango said with a laugh. Once there, Mango said he aims to go for the gold medal. "You never know what can happen," Mango said. "You have an idea but you have to get a good draw and get in a bracket and then start winning your matches." The favorite in his weight class is Iran's Hamid Sourian. He won the world championship in June and is a three-time champion. "He's the one to beat," Mango said. Mango said he has visualized himself winning at the Olympics. "I dream about it," Mango said. "I'm on the treadmill jogging and I visualize the match and how it will go down. I picture myself winning at the end. Gold is good." |
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